A local food truck owner said he is not sure his small business will survive after attempting to negotiate trading conditions following the rejection of a trading permit extension at Green Gully Reserve.
Despite a successful trial period in mid-November, Brimbank council said it could not extend the trading permit for Taste of Cyprus to operate at the site after council received an official objection to the selling of hot food at the location.
Owner Michael Athanatos said the situation was “heartbreaking”.
“I don’t know how long it’s going to be closed or if it’s going to survive,” Mr Athanatos said.
“I’m a small, small, business. It seems like nobody cares what happens to us basically.”
Mr Athanatos tried to negotiate through council a set of conditions that would allow him to operate at the location where he said he built a strong customer base during his one-month trial.
In an email seen by Star Weekly, council told Mr Athanatos it had negotiated with the complainant and reached an alternative agreement whereby Mr Athanatos could operate at Green Gully Reserve on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays.
Council said it recognised the impacts caused to Mr Athanatos’s business and said it would attempt to find an alternate location for the food truck.
Mr Athanatos said the suggested days are the slowest for trade and would barely cover the business’s running costs.
“It’s not practical. Especially with the current prices, the lamb, the chicken, everything is so expensive. I wouldn’t make any money basically,” he said.
Mr Athanatos said moving location would also be difficult.
“If I move I have to go to Melton or Sunbury and I’m going to have to start again,” he said.
“I’m trying to find another spot and it’s really hard.”
Mr Athanatos said he has already experienced significant financial loss since his business closed last month.
He also expressed concern for his seven employees.
“At the moment they’ve got no job basically,” Mr Athanatos said.
“It’s really hard. Especially at Christmas.“
Council previously said it could not comment on the nature of the official objection due to privacy reasons.
